


Rainbow Shades of Blue

by orphan_account



Series: "Shades of" (Undertale) [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Character Interpretation, Friendship, M/M, Romance, Shipping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-08-28 07:33:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8436910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: [Set in a Verse where AU characters live amongst eachother]Error thought he could've dealt with it. But despite managing to make it through school with average grades and a tough demeanour, he was freaking out inside, worried and stressed and scared all at once. He didn't know what he wanted to do or how to do it, and couldn't ask with fear of being degraded. Some of the teachers understood, but he couldn't let it get out, he just couldn't! But all of it went to waste anyway, when a incident on the day of Graduation made it all impossible, and now Error can't even bring himself to leave the house.At least he isn't alone. And Error couldn't be more grateful.





	1. Chapter 1

_This is most certainly the worst date ever,_ Error thought, just staring ahead as the coffee spilt down his brand new shirt. _And it hasn’t even started yet._ He _had_ been on his way to meet with Fresh, but apparently, he was going to have to cancel now. At least, there was no way he was showing up with a coffee stained shirt. Especially considering he’d been hesitant to show up at all. Error had nothing against Fresh, well…anymore, and he only admitted it to himself! …But even Fresh knew he hated social situations, so heading out to a theme park with large crowds was not his idea of a date, but Error knew it couldn’t always go his way in a relationship. 

He let a sigh and threw the coffee cup in the nearest bin, turning around to head back to his home, eyes closed as he reached into his pocket. Opening them up again, he barely had a second to see before his skull collided painfully with someone else’s. Stumbling back, he lifted up his other hand to rub the spot that stung, ignoring the painful remark from the other person as he glared at them. “Would you watch- U-Uh…” Error trailed off, a blue blush forming on his cheeks as he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked to the side. “…Sorry Fresh,” he mumbled, clearly regretting it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Fresh, as usual, just put on a large grin. Error was lucky he never really got offended, even if his original blank stare made it seem like he was.

“Hey, it’s totes cool, babe!” he replied, winking. “No worries! So, hey, saw ya spill the coffee before. Ya alright?” As if Error’s blush wasn’t worse enough. He cleared his throat, although it was weak, and tried his best to look back, although he hesitated, and just ended up looking over to the other side, one hand resting on his neck awkwardly.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” Error replied, and even if he didn’t look like it, he was. Of course, Fresh was persistent. A lot of people were. And it was kind of hard not to get a little annoyed by it, but at the same time, it was getting easier to remind himself that he was just making sure, and that it was Error’s fault he always seemed to look upset anyways.

“Ya sure?” Fresh asked, and, despite being in public, Error finally managed to look Fresh in the eyes and grin, even if it was a little faulty.

 “Yeah, I’m really good. Was…going to head home though, until you showed up. Called you to say ‘m not coming and stuff…” he said, and regretted it a little after that. Still, Fresh wasn’t upset in the slightest. Despite having feelings, anger was not one of them he got often. Sometimes, it was like he hadn’t changed at all, but Error knew Fresh had feelings for him, so he didn’t let it bother him.

“I get it,” Fresh said, placing his hands on his hips. “It’s cool, bruh, ya can head home. We can try again another time,” he said, placing his hand on Error’s shoulder and reassuringly squeezing it a little. And Error couldn’t help but smile, even if it made him blush a little more. It was just these little things that he liked, and it really did make his stomach mess with him sometimes.

Error nodded his head, apologizing one more time, before walking ahead, waving a little bit. He only made it a few steps before he had a thought, and stopped in his tracks. “H-Hey, you want to-“ Error began to turn around as he asked, only to be met with a snowball smacking him straight in the face. For some reason, he had a feeling that was meant to be aimed at his back. Funny how these things happened. He could hear Fresh laugh, and apologise, as he wiped the snow out of his eyes.

For a moment, Error’s expression was blank. He could see Fresh’s smile fade, and then another apology was sent his way. Still, he said nothing. Then, slowly, a smirk began to form, and he brought his hand behind his back, his magic shifting the snow beneath him.

Fresh grinned nervously and stepped back, hands up for defence. “Woah, babe, it was just a joke,” he said, but he couldn’t help but continue to grin widely. And even though Error had changed, one thing he still did enjoy was seeing others at his mercy, especially with something as harmless ~~and childish~~ as snowball fighting.

“Oh I’m sure it was,” Error said, grinning as he tilted his head to the side, and flicked his wrist, the snowballs hovering near him flinging towards Fresh, and he couldn’t help but laugh happily as his boyfriend held up his arms, eyes squinted shut to try and protect his eyes. Well, because getting snow in your eye was bad, but getting it stuck in your skull, well…let’s just say Error didn’t really enjoy people sticking their hands or other things in his eyes. Or being held upside down.

Fresh didn’t waste a second once the array of snowballs stopped flinging at him, bending down to form his own snowballs, one by one, before shooting them back, but of course, Error did the same, and while some aimed to perfectly smash with the others, he had to dodge one, which barely skimmed over his face. Man, now his nose was cold. He had been about to shoot more, when an “ow!” from behind caught his attention, and once he caught on, his whole face went blue. Shit. He’d forgotten he was in _public._

Error whipped around to get a look at the person, hesitating a bit to get the words out of his mouth. He had a lot of trouble with strangers. “U-U-Uh, sorry about that…” he stuttered, and hoped that was it, and the person would leave. But apparently, once Error got a look at them, that wasn’t happening. “…What’s with all the colours?”

“Hey!” Fresh shouted from behind, dusting the snow off his clothes, and Error instantly got nervous, turning back to face him.

“S-Sorry!” he replied, as Fresh began to walk up to him, letting out a chuckle. Which, of course, only caused Error to blush even more. He quickly felt a bit weary though, turning to face the person who was just…staring at them. “U-Uh, hello?” he asked, looking to Fresh with his slightly nervous expression, before looking back.

The colourful person stared for a bit more, before tilting his head to the side with a wide grin. “Are you two dating?” he asked. This immediately caused Error to tense up, and then turn around to face the ground, hands covering his cheeks as he shook, his whole face a bright blue. Shit, shit, shit, he should’ve known somebody would’ve noticed. And they were a complete stranger too!

“Uh, sorry, broski. He’s a bit nervous about it all. Ya wouldn’t mind keeping it down a little?” Fresh asked. Error gulped nervously, hoping again that was it, and they would leave. “Oh, okay!” the cheerful person replied, and he swore he heard footsteps, but then… “But, um, what do you want to do about the crowd?” he asked.

Error blinked, and then forced himself to look around even though he was still shaking. But once his eyes fell on all the people, he really wished he hadn’t. All around them, a crowd had formed of about what looked like the whole town, but they may have been just his imagination. Because already was his soul pounding against his chest, and his breathing became rapid, his blush feeling more like a headache. He swore he could hear Fresh, and that annoying voice, but could hardly make out the words. He lowered his head to the ground, his vision blurring, feeling a hand on his shoulder.

And then all Error could see was darkness, and the cold running through his body in an instant before there was nothing.

* * *

 

“…rry for what I caused… I didn’t realise it was that bad…”

“Hey, no worries bro. We would’ve found out about the crowd sooner or later, ain’t your fault.”

Error stayed silent. He was almost sure he blew it by having to force his eyes to stay closed for a bit, but luckily, the two of them didn’t notice. As if he couldn’t have been more embarrassed then before, he had to go ahead and pass out in front of about fifty or more people. And the stranger they’d seen before. Wait, why was he in his house? Were they even in his house?

“Well, thanks for letting us come here for now, Ink. Would’ve been a bit of a struggle heading all the way back in the cold, and I didn’t want to embarrass him anymore.”

…Nope.

“Oh, it’s no problem!” A shuffle, the stranger rising to his feet. “Would you like some hot chocolate?”

“Sure broski, sounds like a good idea.”

“Great! Won’t be long then!”

Error was more than grateful for the footsteps that left the room. Well, now he damn well knew what was going on, he didn’t want to wake up. But at the same time, he wasn’t sure he could get back to sleep. Plus, he would be noticeable soon. That is, if Fresh hadn’t noticed already. He seemed to have a knack for these things.

The warm hand on his skull pretty much confirmed it. “Alright, babe, ya can get up now. He’s gone,” Fresh said, but there was no rush in his voice. Even if it made Error a little more embarrassed that he had indeed worked it out, at the same time, he hadn’t said a word. Again, something he liked about him.

Error let out a sound that almost sounded like a ‘no’, but he managed to bring his himself to force his eyes open. He squinted once he did, even though there was hardly any light, his vision was still a little blurry. Though the colour nearby was hard to mistake even like this. “…Nnn…” Error whined, lifting up his hands to cover his face. God how he hated this…

“Hey, hey, take it easy…it’s alright, Error,” Fresh said reassuringly, and even though it was a silly little thing, hearing his name like that was pretty helpful. Sure, Error didn’t mind the pet names, but it was a small little fuzz in itself.

Error gulped, but managed to peek through a hole in his fingers, even though his face was still blue and his stomach was still messing with him. “S-Sorry…did it again…” he mumbled, before looking to the side, lowering his hands. He felt silly for saying that, but at least it made him feel a little bit.

“Hey, like I say every time, no worries. Ain’t your fault, ya just get a little freaked out,” Fresh said, stroking over his skull gently. His words and his touch was almost making Error _like_ passing out like this, but it didn’t make it any less embarrassing. Especially when he thought about the fact that he had to be _carried_ through the _entire_ town _unconscious_ was a scary thought. At least he _was_ unconscious.

Error was still a little shaky, but the last thing he wanted was for that chippy stranger – what was it, Ink? – to see him like this again. So, he shifted a bit to lift himself to sit up from the couch, even when he saw Fresh’s hands extend out to make sure he didn’t fall. Error knew he was just caring, but he was glad he managed to sit up without any problems.

Fresh’s worried look faded a little, even though the smile remained completely void from his face. “Ya feeling okay? Here, why don’t you wait here and I’ll get you a glass of water?” Error took a bit to realise what was happening, but once he saw Fresh rise to his feet, he quickly extended a hand to grasp hold of his jacket, even though his hold was a little bit weak, looking up pleadingly.

“N-No, please…stay,” Error begged, his arm shaking, he had to let go, leaning back against the couch, he let out a breath. He tried to keep his eyes awake, much to the expression on Fresh’s face, but failed to do so, as his hearing began to fuzz. He must’ve passed out again, because the next thing he remembered was feeling cool water being poured gently down his mouth. Eyes remaining closed, he swallowed it down, and was grateful for it, and even more when he heard the voices around him.

“Just hold still, baby, it’s okay…” Fresh’s voice rang through his mind for a moment, and by this point Error didn’t even have the strength to feel anything, let only embarrassment. Not even when he heard the voice of the other one in the room as he slowly drank. And it did wonders, which Error was a bit confused by. He didn’t remember being sick, but maybe the embarrassment and the cold was the cause. Now that he thought about it, he did feel a little hot, but he thought that was just the embarrassment…

“Is there anything else I can do?” Error was a bit surprised, taking a breath, he managed to bring his eyes open a little bit. For the moment, the cheerful voice of the other skeleton was gone, and sounded sincere and caring. No, he didn’t want him to feel sorry for him. Error really hoped they could go home soon, he was starting to feel really anxious.

“…Actually, if it’s no problem…” Fresh began, turning to look at Ink. Oh no, what was this? Error was dreading, wishing he didn’t have to hear this, even after being out of it, not once, but twice.

“Could we stay here for the night? It could get dark soon, and I don’t think Error’s well enough to head back right now…” Error wished he could’ve said something, but looking towards Fresh, he was too weak to even look upset about it. He didn’t want to stay here! He wanted to go home! He tried to reach out to him again, but could hardly even lift himself up off the couch without pain shooting through his skull. He winced, receiving yet more worry, but know Error knew…there was no way he could make it home. He wasn’t stupid, despite what he wanted.

At least he could just go to sleep. It would be morning before he knew it, and things would be fine. This was just a onetime thing anyway. Everything would be back to normal soon. He stared ahead as the other two spoke, but hardly paid attention to what they were saying as he let himself sink back into the couch. _Well, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad then…_ Error thought, his eyes slowly closing shut as he willingly met with his sleep this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously there are fan-interpretations present in this, though it is kind of an AU type. That being said, Error x Fresh is one of my OTP's and I really needed an adorable way to represent it <3 So here we go. Hope you liked it!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double lines seperate past and present

Error couldn’t have possibly been more nervous in his life. He wasn’t even sure how he had made it all to graduation in the first place, since his grades were terrible. Well, maybe from his standard. He only just did well enough to pass all his classes, but honestly, he would’ve preferred to fail. But now he was standing here, the last day of school, watching as all of the other students headed forward to the auditorium. Just watching the crowd made him nervous; Error was lucky his classes were small and that he was allowed to eat inside at lunch break, but this was something he couldn’t avoid. God how he just wanted to go home.

Which didn’t really sound like a bad idea…maybe if he just managed to get away, he could pick up the certificate tomorrow and never come back. Surely the teachers would allow it. Part of his mind was against it, but Error didn’t bother to acknowledge as his fear got the best of him, and he spun around on his heel to exit the building, only to come crashing into one of the other students and fall back onto the ground.

“Hey, watch where y-you’re-“ Error tried to make out, much to his dismay. In front of the other students, he was always trying his best not to seem nervous, at least directly. He didn’t normally stutter when trying to sound pissed, but he supposed today was just one of those days, especially when he cut himself off, getting a look at what this student was wearing, and he swore he’d seen him around. “…What’s with all the colours?” he asked, although looked up at him weirdly.

The other skeleton just stared ahead for a bit, before giving a grin. “Style, brah! Pretty cool, eh?” No. “Anyways, sorry about that,” he said, and then held out a hand. Error stared for a bit, before holding out his hand…and then moving it back, he tried his best to frown, rising up to his feet and looking to the side with his arms folded. Out of the corner of his eye, the others grin faded for a second, before returning almost immediately.

“Hey, I’ve seen you! You’re that one who always sits at the back of the classroom! Ya know, the Robotics one!” he acknowledged, folding his arms in thought. Oh, so that’s where he’d seen him… Error was really nervous inside, hoping this conversation would be over soon so he could just go home. He’d already spoke more than he wanted to for an entire day.

“Now that I think about it, you’ve never spoken to anyone. It’s been on my mind a bit, but every time ya speak to someone you always look really confident, but only when they come to you…” Error tensed the more this monster spoke on. Dammit, he was catching on to him…how was he so smart? Choosing not to think about, he instead decided to use this to make a run for it. He’d rather be inside then out here.

“Well, I…I think we should get to the assembly now,” Error tried his best to sound confident, hoping he wouldn’t work out anything else, he spun around on his heel and began to head through the doors. He could hear the microphone ringing around from the silence inside, so clearly they were already late. But after a few steps, he had to stop, and almost fell over again when the colourful skeleton stepped in front of him.

“Brah…are you secretly shy or somethin’, cause if that’s true, I don’t get why ya didn’t just say so,” he spoke up. Error froze, his body tensing up as he just stared ahead. _No no no no! N-No, he can’t h-have worked it o-out! I can’t be t-that obvious! He’s g-gonna tell e-everyone a-a-and-!_ He ignored the confused look on the others face as he stumbled back, eyes shrunk and sweat on his skull. He wanted nothing more than to just collapse at this point, and with his breathing slowly becoming rapid, he almost succeeded to do so. But some part of his mind jabbed at him – he couldn’t been seen weak in front of this asshole. So, managing to pull himself together, Error turned and bolted away, straight out the school gates and down the path, leaving the other one standing there, confused. It was the last day of school…why couldn’t everything have gone well? 

* * *

 

* * *

 

Error hummed a little bit sleepily, clearly not wanting to be up at whatever time it was now. And once he opened his eyes a little, he could see it was still dark out with the moonlight shining in through the window. He wasn’t sure at all why he was up now, but then again, he didn’t know how long he’d been out for, and he wasn’t so tired either. But that didn’t mean he wanted to be awake. Especially since he knew where he was, and he just wanted to go home. He moved a bit on the pillow, apparently not on the couch anymore, but didn’t manage to move much as he realised that, of course, Fresh was fast asleep next to him.

Error took a breath, not wanting to disturb him, he tried his best to move slowly to sit up, and even with the slight headache, he was feeling a lot better. At least he wasn’t as weak as before. But now he was both hungry and thirsty, and it had been a while since he’d ate anything. Suddenly, the theme park didn’t seem so bad, if it meant he got to eat. He would’ve just gone back to sleep, but he wasn’t sure he could now…and he was already sitting up. Maybe he could just get a little something…surely it would be okay.

He rose up off the bed slowly, and made his way to the door quietly, tensing a little once there was a bit of movement, shooting to look back over at the bed. He watched, frozen, as Fresh rolled over to the other side, now no longer being held in place by himself, and then finally let out a breath once things were fine, turning to head outside.

Error managed to find his way back to the lounge room in the dark, but didn’t have any trouble finding the kitchen when he noticed that the light was on. He tensed up yet again, his heart pounding against his chest. Shit, who was here now? His mind on hardwire, he forgot all about the other one in the house, or even that this wasn’t his house for a moment, despite his surroundings. He looked back upstairs, but then turned away again, facing the kitchen with a gulp. S-Surely it was nothing…

Slowly inching himself forward, Error held his hands up in defence in case things didn’t go well, but for him, a lot of things weren’t well for him. Anything could happen, and he always feared the worst.

Error wasn’t sure whether to be afraid or relieved at who was waiting inside. He jumped, biting down on his tongue almost painfully to keep himself quiet, but didn’t even pay it any attention as he stood, almost frozen, before realising who it was. Oh, right… _him_. Of course, this wasn’t his home.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I startle you?” they asked, placing down the cup on the bench. Error wasn’t sure ‘startle’ really cut it, but then again, he knew he was overly cautious about everything. He gulped, finally mustering up the courage to reply.

“N-Not your fault,” Error stuttered out, looking to the side. The smell of what he worked out was hot chocolate was making him even hungrier, but now that this guy was back, he wasn’t so sure he’d be able to get any food. Especially since he really sucked at asking.

Ink opened his mouth, as though he was about to say something, but then closed it again. It wasn’t so much that he was changing his mind, but anything that he had to say was now gone, and he hardly knew what they were talking about anymore. He had been about to ask, before he caught on to the light rumble, easily heard in the silence. Ink couldn’t help but cover up a small laugh, but quickly ceased it, as he could see Error was uncomfortable about it.

“It’s fine, I’m sorry. Is there anything in particular you would like?” Ink asked, smiling warmly, as he placed down his glass.

Error couldn’t hide the light blue blush on his cheeks, but when could he ever? If he didn’t know better, he would say it was permently etched to his face. “A…Anything is fine,” he made out, trying his best to keep his sentences as short as possible.

Ink just nodded his head, although the smile remained, as he turned back into the kitchen. Error looked to the side, trying to calm himself down now that no-one was around. He couldn’t understand how the other one could be so cheerful. Error didn’t have a hard time imagining him smiling at gunpoint. Letting out a small sigh, he decided not to worry about it, turning to head into the lounge. It was dark, but despite the fact that anybody could very easily sneak up on him in the darkness, he didn’t mind it so much. And, as much as he…didn’t understand the owner of this house, Error, at least, wasn’t alone. That much he was grateful for. 

It took a few more minutes of silence before the light flicked on, and Error jumped a bit in surprise, earning himself another sorry as he looked towards the bright skeleton walking into the room with a plate of cookies. Error just bit down on his tongue and looked to the side, and Ink just continued on, placing them down on the table.

Error looked back towards the cookies, his stomach calling out to them. He gulped, and before he did so, lowered his eyes down to the ground. “T…Thanks,” he made out, before stretching his shaking hand out to take one into his hand, slowly chewing, at least once he hadn’t been told otherwise. He was always worrying about doing something he wasn’t meant to be doing, without realising, but the other one just say there with a smile, before happily taking one himself. Error didn’t know how he could keep smiling all the time.

* * *

 

Finally having eaten, and gotten over the awkwardness of the situation before, Error turned and headed back up the stairs without saying another word. Part of him just knew the other wouldn’t be offended, and he really wasn’t much for conversation. He’d already said enough to last him entire week, unless it was Fresh. And, well, Ink in particular…he wasn’t bad, that much Error could tell, but he was a bit annoying. To be honest, Error kind of hated thinking of him that way, but he couldn’t think any other way right now. Perhaps it would change. But not any time soon.

Keeping as quiet as he could, Error stepped towards the door, twisting the door handle. He tensed a little at the creak, but calmed himself down a little and looked up in the darkness towards Fresh, who was now facing the opposite way to the door. Error wasn’t really tired, for…obvious reasons, but there was nothing he could like more than the comfort of a bad, and his l…love next to him. He wished he could stay there the whole time, and sometimes even hated falling asleep because time went by far too quickly. The days were slipping by too quickly.

Letting his hand slip off the handle, he carefully shut the door behind him and then made his way over to the bed, not caring about where he was now. He tried his best to be quiet and careful, as the last thing he wanted to do was wake up Fresh, even if he knew that his boyfriend was a heavy sleeper. It was just who Error was. And he thought he had succeeded, crawling into the blanket, he turned to face towards Fresh, getting ready to close his eyes.

“Aren’t going to say goodnight?”

Error snapped his eyes open, shooting a look towards Fresh, who was now halfway leaning over to peer back at him. He blinked a few times, before feeling the blush crawl to his cheeks, covering his eyes with his hands. “T-Thought you were asleep…” he replied, gulping a little bit.

Fresh let out a small chuckle. “I’m just teasing, babe,” he said, and rolled over fully now, but hardly had to do anything before Error was pressed up against his chest. Fresh stared for a bit, before softly smiling and wrapping an arm around him. “You are so adorable,” he whispered, even if just made Error blush even more.

But he managed to look up at him, even with a slight pout. Fresh could tell what that meant, but he wasn’t going to give it up anytime soon. “Haha, sorry, but it’s- mmph,” he finished with, being cut off by Error’s teeth pressing against his. He looked ahead, and could still the shaky expression of his love with his eyes closed, blush intensified, but just smiled and closed his own, trailing his thumb gently over his cheek.

Once they broke apart, Error continued to pout with a slight frown. “T-There…” he let out, before flopping down on the pillow. Fresh was silent for a bit, but slightly smirked and did the same. “Alright, I get it…” he said, and even as the words were running through his head, he kept them, well, in his head for now. He could see Error close his eyes, and went ahead and did the same.

A small smile crawled onto Error’s face, and he didn’t fall asleep anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly shorter than the other, and I'll admit it was a little bit rushed, but...  
> Kiss! :D So, haha, hope you like it :3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fresh: Just yer friendly neighbourhood Fresh warning ya all of the unradical language in this chapter bruh. Sadly, I don't have swear blocking powers in this story.  
> Also: double lines seperate past and present

 Error skidded to a stop in the slightly darkened alleyway, leaning against the nearest wall, and bending over in attempt to catch his breath. He could feel the discomfort in his back, and felt as though he couldn’t breathe, but kept up the pace to help reassure himself. He was fine, he was just overreacting. Lifting his head up, he looked ahead, and had to use most of his willpower to not bolt again. God, why had he run here?

Standing back up straight, Error gulped, hoping nobody was around to see this. He’d already been found out by the rainbow coloured freak – the last thing he wanted was to be discovered by the bullies at his school. Turning around, Error froze in his place, realising he was far off the mark. Now, suddenly, the school bullies sounded a lot better.

Standing in front of him were two much older monsters, both fish monsters, except one with slightly darker skin. But that wasn’t what caught Error’s attention. One of them was gripping a knife, and another was already resting their finger on the trigger of the gun. It was then that Error knew that no amount of acting was going to get him out of this, and that made it even worse. He shook, holding his hands up in front of his chest.

“N-N-No, p-please-“

“Shut your fuckin’ mouth, kid,” the darker one spat, throwing down the cigarette that hung in their mouth, crushing it under the sole of their boot. “You almost seem like a waste of time, with that weak attitude of yours. But hey, maybe it’ll mean no-one will miss you.”

Error hated the fact that he admitted they were right. Who would miss him? He didn’t have a family, and he sure as hell didn’t have any _friends_. He felt the majority of the people would be celebrating his death. But that didn’t change a thing. He didn’t want to die, and certainly not here, and now. But there was nothing he could do. Running wouldn’t change a thing, and even if it would, his legs were so shaky he didn’t even think he could.

“Ugh, what a weakling,” the other spoke, looking to his mate with the smoke pressed in between his fingers. “Just get it over with.” Error tensed, but once the gun was held down directly at his chest, he knew there was nothing he could do. This was it, now. It was all going to be over. He closed his eyes, shaking, tears forming in his eyes as he waited for the sound of the bullet.

“Well, well, what do we have here?”

Error jumped, the voice running through his head. Even being held at gunpoint, he…he recongized that voice. But he wasn’t dead yet. What was going on? He could hardly bring himself to open his eyes, but just managed to crank them open to see what was happening. And sure enough, the gun was still pressed up in front of him, but the two of them had their heads turned, looking towards a ray of colours on the other end.

“What the fuck? We’re kinda busy here, you gay fucker,” one of them spat, and Error couldn’t help but tense again. He didn’t know who was here now, but he desperately hoped he had a chance now, whoever this was.

“Woah, bruh, watch the language. Someone’s gotta teach ya about yer manners,”-they were sounding scarily confident for a situation like this. Did they have a plan or something?- “so how about we start now? Let him go, or I promise you won’t be getting away with this.” Error really hoped they had a plan.

The laugher that echoed around didn’t help the case at all. “What the fuck are you going on about?” he spat, and Error had a really bad feeling about this. Once the attention was again turned back to him, he jumped, letting out a small squeak of fear.

“How about we test that then?” Oh no, oh no. He could feel the impact coming long before it did, but he sure didn’t predict what happened next. The ray of colours rushed past him, and he could see the face of the one he’d come across this morning, but hardly had a chance to think about that moment before he heard the sound of the bullet being shot ringing around the area.

But Error didn’t feel any pain.

Fresh gave him a weak grin, before his legs failed underneath and he landed on the cold concrete below, hand grasping at the wound in the lower part of his stomach, blood already seeping through his clothes as he shook from the pain. Even he couldn’t help the tears that formed, but as he struggled against it, he had his ray of hope. It wasn’t over here.

“Heh, what an idiot,” the dark one chuckled, blowing away the smoke from the gun. Error stared ahead, eyes wide and his hands frozen above as he too shook, now not knowing what to do more than ever. It was hard to think at this time, let alone act. “Now it’s your turn.” His voice was cold, but Error was too shocked to even react anymore, as the tears welled in his eyes. This was it. This was the end.

“There they are!” a sharp voice called out, and the gun that was hovering above him jolted back, as the two looked up alarmed. From a distance, Error could see the two policeman running up, and the one yellow dressed skeleton, who looked very much around their age. But he didn’t care about that. He only felt relief as the two bolted off, one of the policemen heading off after, the kid trying his best to run behind, as the other headed up to check them out.

It was then that Error managed to get his words together.

“P-Please, h-help! You gotta help, h-he’s-! P-Please!” he stuttered, and was more than glad when the phone call was already being made. He didn’t care who or what saw anything now. Because Error had made up his mind. School was out, and he was heading home. And after this guy was okay, well…Error was never leaving his home.

* * *

Error’s legs swung back and forth as he sat nervously on the slightly pale couch. He could feel the sweat already dotted on his forehead as he desperately wanted to go home, but he kept telling himself – he could hold on a little longer. He had to make sure Fresh was going to be alright, and then he was heading straight back.

Though he hadn’t really thought of how. But he wasn’t worrying about that now, at all. He kept staring ahead at the hallway, and at first was relieved when he saw someone heading down the path, but looked ahead confused the moment he saw – they were just his age. What were they doing here?

The yellow eyed skeleton continued to smile as he made his way up to Error, though he couldn’t be sure whether that was fake or not. He looked him over for a little, realising he was indeed wearing a white lab coat over…was that a police uniform? Shaking his head, Error gulped, but managed to pull himself together to actually be able to speak. “Is…he gonna be okay?” he asked nervously.  
  
“Oh, he’ll be fine,” they said, and even their voice was a little childish. Error really had no idea what they were doing here, but they probably had their own reason, and he wasn’t going to interfere.

“O-Okay, then… I-I guess I better… get home then…” Error said, but it was clear from his voice and expression that it had just dawned on him – he had no idea where he was or how he was to get there. This really was the worst last day of school…

It only took the other a few seconds to work it out. “Oh, do you need help?” they asked politely, turning around slightly. “Wait a second, I’ll be right back.” Before Error had a chance to speak, the other was already lightly running down the hall. Lowering his eyes, he turned to head back to the seat. Guess this meant more waiting…

Error looked up to the clock as he rested on his elbow, just listening to the seconds tick by. He didn’t know why Fresh had done that for him, but maybe he was overthinking it a little. He’d probably do that to anyone, whether he cared about them or not. Yeah, that was it… Error just happened to be lucky, but… honestly, he’d rather have been shot, then be sitting here sweating bullets with a, heh… _deathly_ fear of being attacked.

He felt as though it could happen at any moment. In fact, it could. He could be shot sitting here, right now. He could end up in a car crash on the way home, gagged and taken away and killed without any evidence; something could fall on him, or he could trip and hurt himself, or fall down the stairs. So many things could hurt him, or kill him, and up until this point, he’d never even thought about it.

And now, he was terrified.

“Guess what?”

Error couldn’t help but jump as he heard the slightly energetic voice next to him, shooting a look to the side. They quickly looked apologetic, but then carried on speaking.

“I spoke to my mother about it, and she said we can take you home!” he chimed. “Isn’t that great?”

Error wasn’t sure what to feel. He was grateful to be getting home, but on the other hand, there was so much danger in this option, too. But, no… no, he had to make it back. He would have to hope that this would go well – everything would be fine, and then he wouldn’t have to worry about anything else. “O-Okay… t-thanks…”

The other lit up, instantly seeming happy about the answer. “Okay, great! It’s nice to meet you, I’m Dream! What’s your name?” he asked, and Error, again, wasn’t sure he wanted to say so. But that was stupid, too… besides, this guy, well at least it looked like, worked at this place. So he probably shouldn’t be too wary… maybe.

“E-Error,” he replied, and then fell silent. But it didn’t matter, because Dream here seemed to talk enough for the both of them, though for some reason, there was some sincerity, kindness, and a bit of warmth in his voice that made part of Error feel a little bit safer than before. Was that a doctor thing?

“Nice to meet you!” Dream repeated, and although Error knew he’d said that before, he stayed silent. It was a pointless mistake to point out. Although he didn’t want to speak to him much, Error did have a question… and he couldn’t get it out of his head.

“W-Why…” he began, making Dream tilt his head a little in confusion, but Error tried to ignore that as he carried on. “W-Why are you wearing a lab coat over a police uniform?”  
  
Dream blinked, but then giggled a bit. “Oh, well, you see… my dad’s a policeman, and my mom’s a doctor, and it’s _really_ super hard to decide what to be, since I really want to help people, and both jobs involve doing so. I want to do both, but mom says it’s not really appropriate, so I’m trying them both out for now just to see. Though I don’t really do much, my parents are really supportive, and they’re allowing me to keep going. I mean, I haven’t messed up yet either, even if I’m not doing very important jobs. They say I’m very alert and patient.”

Error was about to say that, while he looked alert, that was for sure, he didn’t seem like the patient type. But what was he to say, when he’d just met the guy? So he just nodded, staying silent about that fact. “W-Well, I guess you’ll find out soon…”

Dream instantly lit up, a wide grin on his face as his eyes shined happily. “You mean it?!” he called out, and without another word, stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Error in a gentle squeeze, eyes closed as he smiled brightly. “Thank you so much!”

Error wasn’t sure where the fear came from, but the moment he felt the other’s touch, he instantly used whatever strength he had to push the other off, stumbling up off the chair, but barely made it a few steps before he felt his legs collapse underneath him. Falling onto the floor, he crawled over and leaned against the wall, vision blurry with fear.

He hadn’t been expecting the other to crawl in front of him, though Error felt no pressure. Only the warmth of his voice, that was ringing through his skull even in his state.

“H-Hey, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to, here… it’s going to be fine, it’s going to be okay… just take deep breaths…”

There was a bit of franticness in his voice, but Dream didn’t need to worry anymore, as it somehow did the trick. He wasn’t sure why, but eventually, Error felt himself back to the world he lived in, after being on the verge of passing out. He took note of where his hands were, just above his arms, before looking up towards the worried skeleton. He looked a little scared, but even so, he’d managed to keep himself calm enough to help him, though Error wasn’t sure how it worked. Maybe it was a Doctor’s thing?

“Y-You know…” Error stuttered, almost letting his mind rush ahead of his mouth as he moved to sit up a bit better. “I think you’d make a great Doctor, Dream.”

Dream blinked, surprised, before smiling a little, sitting back and placing his hands on his lap gently. “I’ll keep that in mind, Error.”

* * *

 

* * *

 

Error had never felt so relieved to be at home in a while. Okay, no, that was a lie. He always felt relieved to be home. But he’d only been here for a couple of hours when Fresh came downstairs declaring they should try again.

“Karaoke?” he stuttered, a bit of sweat forming on his skull. “S-Singing?”

Fresh grinned, placing an arm around him. “Well, yeah! I know you said you wanted to take it slow, and it’s a good start! You don’t have to do in front of others, it’ll only be you and me. I promise. Jus’ the walk there and the walk back. Ya don’t even have ta sing if ya don’t want to, but it’ll help ya. ‘s up to you, though,” he said, and was true to his words. The walk there and back would hopefully be able to help a little bit, and there was plenty of time for a break in between.

Error still wasn’t sure if he liked the sound of that, but he really couldn’t bring himself to argue right now. Plus, he couldn’t think of any other reason why he couldn’t go, since the point of it was to get over his fear. He gulped, but slowly nodded his head. “O-Okay then. I’ll just be a bit then,” he said, and took note of Fresh’s wide grin at first, before turning to head up the stairs. He smiled for a flash as he went into the bathroom, but it quickly faded, as he stomach began to churn a little.

“I-It’s okay, it’ll be fine. I-It can’t be far, and I won’t be alone…” Error tried to reassure himself, but he wasn’t sure the last sentence did the job. It was too confusing. He liked being around Fresh more than ever, but he didn’t like being around others…thinking about how Fresh even got to him made it better though…even if he didn’t like to think back on what had happened.

Gulping, Error managed to bring himself away from the mirror. The thought of that one time on Graduation Day made him feel scared, but at the same time, it made him feel bad for being like this after Fresh’s sacrifice. He wasn’t dead, he was alive, and well, and he only had him to thank. So he couldn’t spend the rest of him time cooped up inside. And… as long as Fresh was always with him, it would be okay.

Heading out, Error looked up towards Fresh, who still held the wide grin he normally did, only you could see the real happiness, and yet worry, in his eyes. Error shuffled forward as the door was opened, staying silent. “Alright, let’s get going then,” Fresh said, turning to step outside, before he felt arms wrapped around himself. He looked a little surprised, before smiling softly and letting go of the door to stroke Error’s skull. “Hey, it’ll be fine, alright?”

“…Please don’t leave me…” Error mumbled, and that caught Fresh’s attention. His hand hovered above as he looked down in shock, before his expression changed to worry. Oh no, he hadn’t thought of that again, had he?

Fresh lowered his eyes a little and held him close. “Hey, hey… I promise, I won’t go anywhere…” he said soothingly, hoping to be able to calm him down for the moment. But Fresh didn’t know if that would be true. He wanted to do anything to keep Error safe, even repeating what had happened on the last day of school. But if he did that, he wouldn’t be around for Error. And he didn’t want that either.

Error didn’t want to let go, but he knew he had agreed to this, and they wouldn’t get anywhere as they were. But the moment he removed his arms from around Fresh, his hand went to grasp hold of the other, grateful for the gentle squeeze he received. _It’s going to be fine,_ he repeated in his head as he slowly stepped outside again.

The trip was, at least, not against what Error had expected. He jumped and turned his head at every obvious movement or sound next to them, spending the whole time gripping at Fresh’s arm, afraid either of them would get hurt in some way, and trying his best not to look down any dark corners. It wasn’t such a large crowd, however, and at least they weren’t paying attention to the two of them. But Error was certainly paying attention to them.

Though it was obvious that he couldn’t help but be relieved once they arrived at the Karaoke centre. It was a little busy, but the moment they made their way through the line, Error and Fresh were sitting in the safety of the booth, just the two of them. He let out a sigh of relief, only then slowly letting go of the death grip he held on Fresh’s sleeve. As the darkly coloured skeleton he was, it was easy to spot that his knuckles were almost white.

“Hey, you’re okay. You made it!” Fresh congratulated, not caring about the fact that he had to encourage him the entire time, telling him it was safe and that they would be there soon. Even if the last one was a lie most of the time, it had seemingly done the trick. He wasn’t sure if it had helped much for next time, but for now, Fresh was just happy they were here. And he was sure Error was too.

After a minute or two of adjustment, Fresh jumped up onto his feet, grinning widely. “Alright, let’s see what we have here!” he said energetically, lightly fist-pumping the air before strolling up to the remote. Error couldn’t help but smile as he returned to the chair, one arm resting over his shoulder as the other was outstretched, scrolling through the songs.

For a moment, Error was staring forward at his boyfriend, smiling with a slight blue blush. Now that they weren’t walking through crowds of strangers, he had time to just sit and be with the one that he loved, which was all Error wanted. Even knowing they weren’t home, this… this was comforting.

“Yes, found it!” Fresh called out sharply, and Error jumped back with a squeak, before his hands went to cover over his mouth. Fresh blinked, before letting out a chuckle, moving his other hand to gently stroke his skull. “Sorry babe,” he apologised, sincerity clear even though he had just been laughing. Error just nodded, but his hands remained where they were as he hid his smile, lowering his eyes a bit to the ground.

Fresh grinned a bit and turned back to the screen, pressing what Error believed was the play button before he had time to see what the title was. But he didn’t even have to think twice the moment the intro started, and Error placed his head in his hands, shaking it a little as Fresh let out another chuckle and rose to his feet, grabbing the mic. “Come on, bruh, ya know it ain’t that bad,” he said, cheekily grinning.

“We listen to this song at _least_ once a day,” Error complained, and for once, he wasn’t feeling worried or nervous over anything. Not when this tune was playing. But Error had no problems when Fresh didn’t reply, and instead began to sing. Of course, this was karaoke, so at least it was a plus that he didn’t have to listen to _that guy’s_ annoying voice. He could probably live with this. Not being able to help lightly tapping his foot, Error rested his cheek on his hand as he looked ahead at Fresh; smiling, singing, having a good time, and he couldn’t hide it from himself that it was enjoyable to look at it… A small smile formed on his face, and for the moment, he felt happy…

Error’s eyes moved slowly once he saw the white blur near the window, and again jumped as he spotted the one from yesterday pressed up against the window, eyes darting from Ink to the yellow eyes skeleton next to him, who was smiling a little bit awkwardly. Oh god, no, no, no… please just go away… he thought. Of course, Error’s actions were hard to miss, so Fresh was now turning his head towards the door, and of course, he had to grin.

“Hey, welcome!” he called out, letting the song carry on as he headed up to open the door. Error took a bit, but the quick acceptance made it obvious… His face fell a little as he quickly rose to his feet, grasping hold of Fresh’s sleeve just before he reached for the handle.

“You…invited them?” he asked, voice shaking a little. It wasn’t that he was against Fresh’s attempts to help, but he was feeling just a little upset that he hadn’t told him anything, if it was true.

Fresh stopped in his tracks, turning around, he instantly became worried, if not a little defensive. “I’m sorry I lied, but… I was worried you weren’t going to come if I told you I’d invited Ink…” he admitted.

Error still wasn’t feeling happy about it all, as Ink was the last person he wanted to see, but he knew what was up here. He’d met Ink, he knew Ink. He didn’t like Ink, but it was a lot better than starting from the beginning with someone knew. “W-Well, okay…” he replied, gulping. He was a little worried, but… “B-But who’s…?” Error trailed off, directing to the other skeleton next to him.

Fresh turned his head for a second, then looked back to Error. “That I don’t know,” he replied, continuing on to open the door gently, his eyes lowered a little.

Ink spoke up before anyone else could say anything. “I know what you said, but Dream here doesn’t get a lot of days off, and since you had invited me out the same time that he has time off, I had to do something!” he quickly said in defence. For a moment, Fresh still looked a little annoyed, but then just rolled his eyes and smiled.

“Alright, alright, I get it,” he said, moving aside to let them in, giving Ink a little look, before focusing his attention on Dream. “Hey, nice to meet cha! Names Fresh. And this here is Error,” he said, pointing back with his thumb with a small grin.

Error looked towards Ink as he walked past, before his eyes darted to Fresh and Dream as he heard his name. “U-Uh, yes… h-hello,” he tried, and of course, he hadn’t missed the slightly proud look from Fresh. At least he hadn’t mentioned that tiny detail yet, even if Error loved it, he really didn’t need the world to know.

Dream smiled politely with his eyes closed and waved. “Same to you,” he said, before moving on to see what Ink was up to. Error turned his head, the energetic rainbow already scrolling through the songs with an excited look on his face, and just as he was thinking that reminded him of someone, Fresh was walking up to join him. Well, guess he was being subjected to the duets. Oddly enough, Error felt a little bit better when Dream came over and sat down on the couch, and he went over and did the same, looking out to the two others before he spoke up.

“Not much of a singer, are we?” he asked, and Error jumped just a little, but managed to get himself together after a bit to attempt to reply.

“O-Oh, um…i-it’s a…little embarrassing, I-I mean, I’m…” he trailed off, but the look on Dream’s face told him that he knew what he was talking about. He was being pretty obvious about it, but at least he was making the attempt to talk, instead of just freezing up. There was something different about Dream, in that he was at least a lot less…energetic then Ink, but what was Error to say, when he’d fallen for someone like Fresh? Then again, Fresh actually had the ability to care…

Dream just nodded his head, still with the understanding and calm smile on his face. “I understand,” he replied, and Error hoped that was all. Though part of him thought otherwise, Dream fell silent, turning back to face the other two now blasting out to one of those Japanese songs. Error turned his head as well, and for a bit, he was smiling, until he saw Dream’s face out of the corner of his eye. He frowned a bit in confusion, turning back to see how he was staring ahead at Ink, eyes half closed with a half smile on his face.

The fact that Dream didn’t notice must’ve meant something as well. Error blinked, eyes darting between Ink and Dream, and even he at this point had to hold back a laugh. But then, once he remembered how oblivious Ink seemed to be, it didn’t seem so funny anymore. Sure, Dream’s ‘lovey dovey’ eyes were kind of funny, but all Error could think of was that, even if Ink noticed, he probably wouldn’t think a thing of it, as if nothing had happened. As if it was normal.

Error’s hand shook a little, but he managed to bring it forward just to place his hand on Dream’s shoulder. “H-Hey, you-“ He jolted, hand instantly jumping back the moment the other’s eyes shot back open, and he blinked for a bit.

“O-Oh, sorry!” Dream hastily apologised, but once it dawned on him what he had been doing, his skull blushed yellow and he looked down to the side, gripping his sleeves. Error gulped a little silently, and turned back to the other two as the song began to fade out. He wasn’t sure why, but something about Dream just made him want to help, as though there was something about him… and it wasn’t just the fact that he was curious, not at all. Alright, he could do this…

“H-Hey, um…” he began, rising to his feet, both Fresh and Ink turning to face him. “D-Dream and I are… g-going to get some drinks, d…do you guys want anything?” he asked, trying to keep his voice at a reasonable volume, even if he didn’t sound confident. At least they could hear him.

Ink’s eyes lit up, and he placed his hands together, smiling brightly. “Watashi wa remon'aisutī o motte imasu!” he chimed, looking ahead casually.

Fresh and Error blinked at the same time, looking towards each other with blank expressions. Ink blinked himself, before realising, and grinning innocently. “Ah, gom-sorry,” he covered up, but didn’t look the slightest bit embarrassed. “A Lemon Ice Tea, if that’s okay,” he corrected.

Error looked ahead just a little weirdly, but just nodded and turned to Fresh, his fingers knotted together, as he rocked a little on his heels. Fresh looked ahead silent for a bit, before smiling and lifting up a hand to his skull, patting it gently as Error closed one of his eyes, cheeks a little blue. “Ice Coffee will do, thanks,” he answered, but Error knew what this was. He lowered his eyes and smiled a little shyly, before turning to Dream, Fresh’s hand sliding off his skull.

“O-Okay, Dream, let’s go,” Error said, trying to sound a little bit enthusiastic. Though he didn’t hate this, since it was his idea, but… he really needed to ask. He hoped he was doing the right thing in helping Dream though, even if he didn’t really like Ink... Part of it because if Dream actually got with Ink, he wouldn’t be so intent on spending time around them.

Dream looked a little confused, but went along with it, rising up to his feet. He wasn’t going to let Error carry four drinks on his own anyways, so no matter what the sudden request, he was going to help. That was his job, after all.

Error pushed open the door, holding it open for Dream, and once they were outside, he followed behind him for a bit, looking around and behind him, before stopping in his tracks, looking up at Dream, who turned around to face him.

Error knotted his fingers together again, looking to the side. “S-So, um… do you… really feel that way for him?” he asked, hoping it wasn’t rude, but seeing him tense a little, face bright yellow, said otherwise. But of course, Dream couldn’t have expected anything else – he was far too obvious about it. Though part of him was glad that it was Error that had noticed.

“Well, it’s… it’s kind of recent, but yeah, he is cute… though I don’t have that high hopes honestly… I think you’ve noticed, but I-I don’t…” Dream trailed off, looking down to the ground a little sadly.

Error blinked, hand rubbing behind his neck as he continued. “You…you should tell him,” he began, causing Dream to look up a little surprised, but he tried his best to ignore the attention as he carried on. “You can’t…tell just b-by looking at someone… so you should tell him. Maybe wait a bit, but… Ink won’t know if you don’t say anything, and neither will you, it’s worth a shot, anyways…”

Dream looked ahead a little surprised, blinking a few times, before smiling just a smidge. “I-I guess… you think there’s a chance…?” he asked.

Error was a little nervous about this, but he knew one thing – he didn’t like seeing others upset. He hated this about himself sometimes, but it was always something that drew him in. He was a bit glad Ink never seemed to look upset, but at the same time, hoped he wasn’t hiding anything behind that smile. “Well, I guess…” he replied, and felt a little bad about that, but looking over to Dream, he let out a small sigh of relief. Good, he hadn’t messed it up. Error wasn’t so sure why he wasn’t so nervous around him now, taking note he hadn’t stuttered a single bit since they had gone outside.

Dream grinned widely, his eyes sparkling as he pressed his hands up against his bony cheeks. “Thank you!” he exclaimed, before reaching forward to wrap his arms around Error in a gently hug, eyes closed happily with a bright smile.

Error instantly jumped the moment he felt the contact, squeezing himself out with a slight shove, the most he could manage with his arms shaking. He stumbled back, barely missing his own feet, almost slamming against the wall behind him. His vision blurred slightly as his knees buckled, and he slid down onto the floor. He desperately called out to Fresh, but quickly realised the voice was only playing in his mind – he wasn’t making a sound.

Error thought that would’ve been the end of it, but he just managed to catch sight of the yellow glow in his slightly darkened vision, and the words ringing in his skull. He couldn’t feel any pressure.

“Hey, hey, I’m sorry… it’s okay, deep breaths, you’re gonna be okay…” Error wasn’t sure what was with it, but there was a kind of recognizable warmth in his voice that helped him to calm down. He blinked his eyes a couple of times, letting out breath after breath, before he managed to let a word leave his mouth.

“Dream…?” he questioned, as though he had just appeared in front of him. For a second, the other looked confused, before the memories seemed to come flooding back, and his eyes widened slightly.

“E-Error! It’s you!” Dream said, though kept his voice down a little. It took Error a few more seconds to manage to stop shaking, before he sat himself up with one arm. At first, he noticed that Dream’s hands were only slightly hovering above his body, though not touching. That gesture was almost too familiar.

“It is, I… I remember now, and… I can’t believe I didn’t recognise you before,” Error said, and did kind of feel silly about it, but he was a lot different from when he was younger. More sincere, and kind, even though he did still have the slightly impulsive act of hugging people. That was something he would never forget.

Dream was more than happy, smiling brightly, he rose to his feet and held out his hand. “It’s so nice to see you again! Though I don’t think our first meeting went so well, I think we got along eventually,” he said, though he had no doubts there was friendship there. And care as well.

“You changed a lot,” Error commented, and for some reason, felt no fear in lifting up his hand to take a hold of Dream’s, pulling himself up. Perhaps it was his reminder of who Dream was, and that he knew him so long ago, and hadn’t been arrived. He’d saved him twice now, and he’d even helped Fresh. He couldn’t be more grateful.

“So have you… though I can’t say I expected anything else… I’m really glad you found someone, however. Again, couldn’t have expected anyone else. I spoke to him a little bit after he was better, and he did mention that he was worried about you… and well, look were that led,” Dream said, spreading his arms out a little as he directed to Error.

Error blushed a bit, scratching his cheek with one of his fingers. “Well, yeah… things happened,” he said, but decided not to talk about the obvious anymore, looking back to Dream with a small smile. “What about you? I know you’re clearly single, but did you become a Doctor? You did, right?”

Dream nodded his head, placing his hands together again with a bright smile. “Yep, I sure did! It wasn’t that hard of a decision after I met you that day. I mean, I sat and thought about it, and… as cliché as it sounds, I want everybody to have a chance at a future, everybody to be able to dream and live their dreams, and… well, I want to help people… becoming a Doctor meant I could care for others, making sure they could carry on with their lives, fit and healthy. It’s been a great experience so far.”

Error grinned a little bit, before biting down on his tongue for a second, then looking back towards him. “That’s… really great, Dream,” he replied, and let his thoughts drift elsewhere for a bit. Error wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if that hadn’t happened that day… would he have gotten better by himself? Would he still be with Fresh? Would he even have spoken to Fresh? Though, even so... he didn’t even know what kind of career would suit him. He was never very good in school, only getting the average grade, enough to pass. So what was out there for him?

There was silence for a bit, before Dream attempted to speak up again. “So did you-“ Cut off by Error diving behind him, Dream blinked with confusion, before looking up at the lady who was walking up to them. He smiled a bit and waved, as though nothing was wrong, before turning to look back at Error once she was gone. “Guess we better get back inside, huh?” he said, and Error nodded meekly.

Once they headed back in, Fresh was now sitting down on the couch, while Ink was still blasting out to yet another popular pop song, Japanese song, or Japanese pop. Either one, it was driving Error crazy already. Fresh turned his head, before blinking. “Yo bros, ya forgot somethin’,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

Error looked confused for a bit, before jumping. “O-Oh, we forgot the drinks…” he said, knotting his fingers together nervously. But one look at the door, and he certainly wasn’t looking so good at going out right now.

Fresh let out a chuckle, heading to rise to his feet. “No worries, Ink and I will handle it,” he said, and although Error didn’t like the idea of Ink being alone with Fresh, at least it meant he wouldn’t be subjected to those awful songs for a bit. It was starting to give him a headache. Nodding his head, Dream and himself stated their drinks, and the two others turned and headed out of the room.

Dream smiled, stepping up to the microphones. For a bit, he twirled one in his hand, before looking back to Error. “So, those two could take a while,” he began, holding it out. “Can you sing?” he asked, smiling sweetly.

Error looked ahead a little worried first, but soon, he couldn’t help but smile himself, rising to his feet and taking the mic. “D-Don’t see why not,” he replied, at least glad that nobody could hear them.

Though he was going to sing quietly, just in case. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Fresh actually had the ability to care…”  
> This is the funniest thing I have ever written in this entire fanfic XD Note: What Error means is that, when he was all hella worried and scared about going out, Fresh was there to look after him and care for him, whereas, the way Error sees Ink now is… just silly, and kind of dumb and doesn’t yet look like he would really care if someone was going through hard times, whether he knew or not. Of course that’s just what Error thinks XD  
> Of course I know the original Fresh doesn’t care, but that would kind of ruin the entire idea and cuteness behind this fanfic. I am trying to keep some of their fan/original personalities however, instead of making it all my own.  
> Anyways, hope you liked this chapter! :3 Cause gosh Error is so kind to Dream and vice versa I love this friendship.  
> Also  
> Word count my god o.o


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double lines seperates past and present, just so you know

Days passed. Weeks. Alright, Error wasn’t going to say months because he’d probably be dead by then if it continued on. But ever since he’d gotten back from the hospital - nerve-wracking thoughts stuck in his mind from the chance of ending up in a car crash despite having never worried about that before - he hadn’t left his home. All he could think now was that anything could happen, he wouldn’t know what, but going out there was putting himself at a _huge_ risk of so many chances of death, and he just didn’t want to take those chances. Even inside was a bit of a risk, but by himself, he felt a lot more comfortable.

Not exactly the most practical living conditions. It wasn’t hard to notice that his fridge was slowly depleting of food, and his cupboard wasn’t looking any better either. And since the whole point of him staying inside was to live, but he knew he needed food to do so… it made him even more worried. More scared. Because no matter how hungry he was, he couldn’t bring himself to go outside.

Error reached over to his bedside table, sitting up only slightly to take a sip of the water – hating himself for how little he drank – before curling back up into a ball and letting out a groan at his aching stomach. Time seemed to pass slowly now, every second making him more and more terrified as he came closer to his inevitable death. By hunger. By fear. By being such a fucking idiot. Whatever. It was going to happen anyway, he just knew it.

There was a knock at the door.

Error _jumped_ , shooting up from his position on the bed so fast it made his head spin, and he had to grasp it with one hand to make sure he didn’t fall back down again. Sweat formed on his skull as he was unsure what to do – did he answer the door, or not? Part of him had hope that this would help, and another thought that this too would lead to the end.

But what kind of criminal would knock on his door?

Error _forced_ himself off the bed, an arm still wrapped around his growling stomach as he inched his way down the stairs, tightly gripping the rail. He eyed the door with obvious fear, but part of him held curiosity as to just who was waiting. Of course curiosity always killed the cat, but he couldn’t help it. He was far too hungry to not risk it, anyways.

Error grasped the handle with a weak hand, taking a few turns to twist it open, and immediately looked fearfully towards the one waiting behind the door.

“Woah, woah, broski! Chill, it’s alright.”

Error’s fear dropped to confusion and surprise in an instant, his grip on the door handle loosening slightly as he almost wasn’t sure what to think. How long had it actually been since he’d been taken to the hospital? Surely he couldn’t have been discharged _that_ early – he’d been shot in the chest! Nonetheless, he was here… Error was almost too terrified to find out how.

“I ain’t gonna hurt ya, I promise…” he said softly, and Error honestly wanted nothing more than for it to be true. Though he couldn’t see why he wouldn’t be, since he distinctly remembered the neon-coloured skeleton in front of him taking a _bullet_ for him – a _bullet._ Which brought Error’s mind back to just how he was standing here, right now, but he wasn’t going to think about it.

Error grasped his arm, looking to the side for a second, but couldn’t help but look back, not wanting to increase the risk of being caught off guard. No matter what this guy’s – ‘Fresh’, was it? – intentions were. He gulped, slowly nodding his head. “W-What are you… doing here?” he asked, his voice quiet and scared, as he wanted nothing more than for him to leave, and he could go back to his… agony of his stomach.

Or at least, Error thought.

“Yo, bout dat,” Fresh began, holding up a plastic bag with a grin on his face. “I noticed ya haven’t been around much, so I kinda guessed ya hadn’t left ya house… in which case, ya’d be hungry, correct? So I bought somethin’ for ya. No need ta worry, I promise,” he added at the end.

Error wasn’t sure by his expression if he really actually meant that or not… something was a little off about him, now that he thought about it. But Error himself was surprised, that was for sure. His eyes widened as his mouth hung open slightly, and he wasn’t sure what to say, truthfully. He lowered his eyes, completely turning his attention away from the other.

“I don’t… understand,” Error began softly, gripping the sleeve of his shirt as tight as he could, his hand shaking. “Why are you doing all of this? W-Why do you care so much… for me?” His eyes remained facing the ground, thoughts rushing through his mind as he wasn’t sure what he was to expect.

“Well, I ain’t just gonna let ya die,” broke the silence, and Error’s head up shot up instantly, his eyes a mix of fear and surprise. “…I mean, I would’ve saved ya like that no matter what, but I didn’t go through all of this _plus_ sneaking away from the hospital before time just ta let ya die.”

Error trailed into a worried and sad frown, lowering his eyes for a bit, before looking back at Fresh, a bit nervous as well. “W-Well…” he began, before catching on to his words. “Wait. S-Sneaking away?”

Fresh tensed, and Error blinked. He grinned, letting out a chuckle, as he placed the bags of groceries on the ground in front of his feet. “Welp, that’s my cue to head off! I’ll see ya another time,” he said in a rush, before turning and heading out the door.

“W-Wait!” Error chimed, holding out a hand, and was almost tempted to follow him, if not for the fact that he was reminded again by a person walking past that he was terrified of even the thought of heading out there. He gulped, quickly shutting the door, before turning and leaning against it with a heavy sigh. He looked up to the ceiling, thinking over his reaction again with his words… he really had snuck out for him, even when he was still hurt… and yet, if he hadn’t now, Error probably wouldn’t have…

Even with that, there was just something about it… that now, was making him giggle a little. A sound that hadn’t left his mouth in ages. He was such a… dork. Why he cared, Error didn’t know, but… well, he was grateful. More than grateful, for everything.

He guessed he would just have to see where things went, and… find out why he cared so much, bit by bit…

Error’s stomach let out a rumble, and he looked back down to the bags dropped that were now near his feet.

Well, that could wait until next time. For now, Error was going to eat.

* * *

Every two weeks, Fresh would drop by with two bags of groceries full of food, normally around the time Error’s kitchen was starting to empty. Although Error’s mind started up again with the same thoughts every time, he accepted the food – each time being more and more confident, at least, in saying thank you – and carried on with his life, alone. Eating alone, sleeping alone, reading alone… lonely activities… alone. Honestly, he… well, he was still far too afraid to even think of heading outside, as every time he thought about it, the one moment came back and he just felt _so_ terrified he couldn’t take a step further. And he knew it wasn’t his fault.

Error just felt so _lonely_. Lonely to the point that every time Fresh came around, he would feel his soul light up, and his stomach churn with something other than hunger – happiness and relief – sometimes he even found himself smiling for a bit after he left.

And then it faded. Error felt as if his loneliness was a bar that was rising and lowering depending on whether he was around others. And although he hated the thought of leaving, or more specifically, it scared him, he… didn’t want to be alone.

* * *

 Error wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he was alive. That was his primary focus, after all. At least, unless Fresh was here. He wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something else in the feeling of wanting him here… all the time. If it were possible, anyways.

One day, it was different. Fresh dropped by, same as always. Error nodded, thanked him, and reached down to lift up the bags in silence, before turning around to head back into the kitchen.

“Yo, not invitin’ me in?”

Error tensed, having to focus on keeping his grip on the bags, before turning around to face him as he lowered them to the ground. One of them lightly fell over at his feet, but he didn’t pay it any attention. “O-Oh, sorry! I-I thought you were going to leave…” he replied honestly, and there was a hint of sadness in his voice, though he didn’t show it. Hopefully Fresh wouldn’t pick up on it.

He let out a small chuckle, before smiling a bit apologetically. “Ah, yeah… sorry. Guess it has been a bit up and down, but… well, I got discharged yesterday, so… no rush. Don’t have anywhere better to be, to be honest, but it’s up to you,” he said, standing in place at the door as he waited for an answer.

Okay, _now_ it was being brought up, Error wasn’t sure what to think. He wanted him to stay, didn’t he? He’d said that – but only to himself. He gulped a bit silently, looking down to the side, his hands resting together on his chest. “U-Um… w-well, if you want, it’s… it’s okay,” he replied, _knowing_ how awkward he sounded. Error just couldn’t admit it out loud.

He certainly wasn’t expecting Fresh _not_ to question it, but he was grateful for it. Still, Error was surprised when he just grinned, nodding his head as he made his way inside, shutting the door behind him. Well, and squeak a little. Even if he had said it he’d been a little… unprepared. He kept his eyes on Fresh, stepping back a little.

“Hey, hey… I ain’t gonna hurt ya. I promise,” Fresh said reassuringly, and Error just nodded. He believed him, of course, he just… need a little time.

Fresh smiled, stepping back a bit, he reached out and took the bags. “I’ll just take these for ya, then,” he offered, making his way around into the kitchen.

Error didn’t say anything. He was nervous about what was going to happen, or anything that _could_ happen, but after this whole time, he… didn’t really think anything would occur. _Not_ now. Not after everything Fresh had done for him, and him only. He was just so… confused. So clueless as to _why_. And sure, maybe he cared for him, but… _why?_

Error knew he was only going to find out if he asked. And, well… that was going to take a bit.

* * *

 

* * *

 It wasn’t exactly new to Error, feeling anxious, but he was anyway. At least this time it was for a different reason – his phone had been ringing for the past minute to the same person over and over with no response. Which was odd, considering he remembered being given his phone number with the words “I’ll answer any time!” in that cheery voice of Ink’s, so to have him not answer at what was he assumed a reasonable time, well… maybe he was busy. Perhaps. Error didn’t even know what Ink _did_ , but apparently it was profitable, so…

Error gulped as he failed to pick up again, lowering the phone away from his ear and just kind of staring ahead. He was tempted to try again, and again, even when at this point he was convinced that Ink wasn’t going to answer… but now, why was the question? Sure, Error couldn’t really handle him much, but… Ink was better than being alone, like he was now, and with Fresh out of the house for a few days due to one of his competitions, well… even if Error would be fine, he was feeling lonely.

So then what was he to do…?

Error scrolled a bit up his phone, spotting Dream’s contact, and for a moment he was tempted, but… wasn’t he busy? Wouldn’t this be a bad time? He didn’t know when he had work, but… well, maybe it was worth a shot…? Even as he felt a little nervous, Error pressed his shaking finger down on the call button and held it up to his hear.

Yet again did he get greeted with an energetic – loud – response as Dream picked up.

_“Error! It’s you!”_

Error winced a bit, slowly nodding his head even as he felt silly because he knew Dream couldn’t see him. “Y-Yeah, it’s me,” he replied, moving the phone away a bit to rub at the spot where his ear would be before bringing the phone back.

_“Ah, sorry… just a bit relieved.”_

Now Error was a bit confused, and curious, as he tilted his head a little. “Relieved? Why is that?”

With the silence that followed for a short amount of time, Error could almost sense his nervousness from the other side of the phone.

_“U-Uh…”_

Error felt his thoughts rush through his mind, before he felt something jolt in his stomach as he grasped hold of one of them, looking worriedly towards the phone. “Dream? …Does this have something t-to with Ink?”

_“No!”_

The sharp shout caused Error to jump, his soul racing a bit as he tried to think of something to say in attempt to apologise, before Dream continued on.

_“I-I mean… sorry… yeah, something happened, b-but it’s no… No, it is a pretty big deal. See, something happened to my brother, and he ended up in the hospital, so I’ve been a bit… on edge lately, as, uh, you can tell, and… well, I snapped at him. I was on my way and I just got so angry and I yelled at him… and now I feel really bad and I want to apologise but at the same time-“_

Error blinked, because holding up a finger as he tried to interrupt. “Dream-“

_“I don’t think I can do it and it’s just so frustrating because I just want him to know how-“_

“Dream!” Error sharply interjected, but it took him only a second to feel bad too.

_“S-Sorry, I…”_

“O-Oh, it’s okay…!” Error stuttered out an apology, of some sorts, before lowering his eyes. “I-I mean, you… you need to calm down a little, and… well, I really think it would be best if you spoke to him, because… whatever you did has upset him a lot, I-I think, because…”

If Dream had gulped, Error sure heard it, and it was making him feel more nervous, but nonetheless his shaking self somehow managed to continue speaking.  

“He’s not picking up his phone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This, uh, cliffhanger will hopefully be finished in Chapter 3 of Rainbow Shades of Yellow (when it's out) if you want to read it, otherwise there's going to be a huge gap between Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 of this story xD Just so you know  
> Also I guess I have to apologise for my lack of inactivity here ._. I have not been feeling so eager for these stories as of late and then there's school and writer's block being a pain and a lot of other stuff that yeah... been slowing this story down tons and I'm super sorry about that-


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